Dark Past, Bright Future: Darkest Before Dawn
by ShurtugalSkulblaka
Summary: (sequel to DPBF: DOTM) Nearing five years after the events in Chicago, Rachel sees her normal life start to fall apart as she is, once again, dragged into the on-going fight between the Autobots and Decepticons, but things are now different. Can she again become what the Autobots need her to be to help them? She is desperate to save her friends before they are taken from her again.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: It's back guys! I have been so excited to continue this series and I am glad to finally be able to post a chapter! I have been planning this sequel/prequel since I watched Age of Extinction. I have thought of many ideas of how to place Rachel in the action without following the movie too closely and still have some room to delve into her past. Also, in the time since I wrote the fic for DotM I have watched the entire animated G1 Transformers series, so if you have watched it as well you may see a few nods to that here and there. Anyway, enjoy!**

 **Dark Past, Bright Future: Darkest Before Dawn**

 _ **Chapter One:**_

The room is dark, it seems to have been years since the the light of day touched the walls, but it has only been a few hours at the most. The room is lucky to have seen light even that long ago, for me it feels like centuries since the last time I saw a glimmer of light. At first I held out hope that someone would come for me; that was probably a month and a half ago, though I can't exactly tell how long because here I have no sense of time. Now I honestly believe no one is coming, that they've stopped searching for me, and I've lost all hope that they'll ever come. If they are still looking for me I hope that they find me soon because I don't know how much longer I can stay useful to my captors.

False information can only get me so far, and I certainly am not going to give them correct information, that would endanger my friends. Maybe I should, maybe leading my captors straight to the Autobots will be the key to this cell. Once my friends know who is holding me they will not relent in their efforts to save me until they get me back safely, of that I have no doubt. My absence is definitely not going unnoticed and I know it would not be by their choice that my friends would stop looking for me. There are no leads to follow, there never were, by this time it wouldn't matter if there were, it has been far too long. I shift in the uncomfortable chair as I think of all of these things, my arms are bound to the chair with scratchy rope. The ropes slide on my wrists just slightly when I move, I figure with a good amount of time I might just be able to work them free. Somewhere in the darkness a hinge squeaks and suddenly I am blinded as the room is flooded with outside light. I blink repeatedly, my eyes trying to adjust to the sudden change. A figure, shadowed by the light in the doorway, walks toward me and I know immediately it is one of my captors by the way she walks. As far as I know, my captors are a woman and a man, not particularly bigger or stronger than me,but well-organized. If I could only catch them unawares, I could easily escape. Escape, the very thought amuses me.

The woman approaches me and I stop trying to wriggle my arms free as her eyes fall on me, the element of surprise is all I have.

"How are we today?" she chimes.

"Go to hell," I say in a fake, cheery tone, trying to mock her chiming.

"Feeling feisty, aren't we?"

"Take these ropes off of me and you'll see how 'feisty' I can get," I retort.

Without missing a beat, she picks something up from the ground and cracks it across my left arm, just above my wrist. Pain shoots through my arm, pain so intense I can barely keep myself from crying out. She holds what I know see is a black, metal rod aloft in her hand, begging me to challenge her again. My arm throbs and I shift in the chair again, trying to take my mind off of the pain.

"Your Autobot friends clearly do not care about you and since you still refuse to give us their location my partner doesn't think you will be of much use to us anymore, I think otherwise," she says.

She has an accent that is clearly from some part of Eastern Europe, but she is very fluent in English. Biting the inside of my lip is the only thing keeping me from tearing up at the pain in my arm, it's more than likely fractured or broken, a bruise has already started to form. I look around the room while her back is turned to me, trying to figure out any leverage I could use against this woman. The room is simple, high, metal walls enclose it just like the rest of the building; there's a single, large window about twenty feet off the ground, too high to reach if I got free.

"I don't know," I start, trying to keep her suspicion low, "they could have moved a dozen times since I was with them last, but even _if_ I knew where they were, I would never tell you."

"Shame," she says.

She swiftly turns, kicking the leg of the chair and sending it crashing to the floor. My head slams into the damp, concrete floor, black spots dancing in front of my eyes. A small groan escapes my lips as terrible pain shoots up my arm as it too collides with the floor.

"You should have answered me, now he'll be angry," her tone is worried, which worries me.

I hear the door open again, this time I hear the click of a light switch and the whole room lights up. I watch as a man walks over towards me and stands next to my head.

Something warm slides down the side of my face, it takes me a few moments to realize it's blood, my own blood. Clearly I have lost a few minutes of memory because I am sitting upright in the chair again and my face feels hot and sore. The skin covering my cheekbone feels like it has been split open, presumably the source of the blood running down my face. I don't remember how any of this happened, which frightens me until I see him. My mind is fuzzy, but I can tell it's the male captor. He has short, black hair and sharp features, he can't be but a few inches taller than me.

"You just don't know when to give in, do you? Of course you think it's courage, but you must realize now that it is ignorance?" his voice has an accent just like the woman's, but he is less fluent in English.

I smile defiantly, narrowing my eyes at him before replying.

"No, I don't. Nothing you do will make me give my friends up."

"Friends," he scoffs. "I'll bet they don't even know who you are."

 _Sure, keep telling yourself that_ , I think.

Clearly these two idiots only had a name and minimal information that said I only know _about_ the Autobots when they decided to abduct me. Of course my NEST files would be classified, no one is supposed to know I work for them, especially after Chicago. I won't tell him of my position because, while it might frighten them, their ignorance may be the only thing keeping me alive.

"Natalie!" the man shouts.

It is only now that I realize the woman had left. Seconds later she shuffles into the room from the same door at the end of the room. Only one door then, only one plausible way to get out if I so happen to get free of the ropes.

"Victor, are you done beating the poor girl? I couldn't bare to watch another second of your violence," she mutters.

Her psychosis is now apparent to me, they aren't just brutal, they're insane.

"Oh pull yourself together, woman! She's not 'poor', she's a gold mine if only she will speak," the man, Victor, says, shoving the woman towards me.

Natalie leans toward me, placing her hands on my arms, pain once again shoots up my left arm, making me wince.

"Come on, you must tell him," she pleads. "You...you must, you don't know what he is planning- I like you, I do. I don't want to see you hurt, but- but _he_ will hurt you."

 _No shit_ , I think angrily. _So will you._

I look past her, at Victor, and glare.

"Then hurt me all you want, I'm not telling you a single thing," I say, setting my jaw despite the pain.

"Natalie, tomorrow she dies, I'm done risking my neck without a single piece of useful information. She-"

"Victor, you can't!" Natalie cries, standing defensively in front of me. "She can tell us! She can! Come on, I know you can."

"Natalie!" Victor snaps. "Don't you see? She will never tell us where they are! And even if she did, it would be another lie!"

I let out an amused chuckle.

"That's the smartest thing you've said the whole time I've been here," I comment with a crooked smile.

Victor turns to me and my smile dissipates as I see his expression. He knocks Natalie to the floor and the last thing I remember is his fist coming at me.

Again I am alone in the dark room, as far as I can tell anyway, still tied to the same chair. I cast my eyes around in the darkness trying to determine if my psychotic captors are still present, they aren't. I sigh, starting to once again wriggle my arms beneath the ropes which have now loosened a considerable amount. Considering what Victor said, it's do or die; either I free myself from these bonds or he shoots me tomorrow. For the first time since I met my captors, I break down. Mostly I long for the protection of the Autobots, but then I glance down at my left hand. My whole lower left arm is swollen and bruised, however my hand remains untouched besides the ligature marks on my wrist. Even though being in the dark for so long has made my skin paler than normal, I can still make out the faint tan line around my ring finger. My heart aches as I realize all the pain I've been through must pale in comparison to the pain felt by those who love me. Part of me believes the reason the Autobots and my friends have stopped looking is because they think I'm dead, the other part knows they are still looking. By tomorrow it might not matter, tomorrow I might be dead. It seems like hours before I find myself dozing off as I still try to loosen the ropes. My body is exhausted, but the adrenaline pumping through me prevents me from sleeping, so I spend the whole night trying to free myself.

Morning comes, or at least I think it does, again I can't tell, and I'm still alive. The ropes do not appear loose, but when I pull my arms back my hands can almost slide straight through them. Now I just have to wait for an opportunity. I position my arms so they look almost exactly like they did before I moved and in such a way the horrible, bruising ligature marks around my wrists are covered. Almost an hour or so passes before I hear the door slam open and see the lights suddenly flicker on, illuminating the dull room. I watch as my two captors walk in, Victor first, Natalie dragging behind him.

"I beg you, Victor, please, don't!" Natalie weeps.

"Shut up!" Victor snaps.

She stops her whining and follows silently behind her partner. While appearing to be watching my captors, I am actually trying to analyze every inch of that door they walked through. The first thing I notice is that the door doesn't seem to have any kind of locking mechanism, they don't even have the slightest thought of me escaping my bonds, a huge mistake on their part. Of course that may not be the only door I would have to get through to leave the building, but at least I have some sort of chance. My eyes focus back on the two figures who now stand in front of me, one jittery, one solid as a rock.

"If only you had told me one piece of useful, _true_ information you might have lived past the day," Victor says.

"You know, I was thinking, you asked me all these questions, but I never got to ask you any," I say satirically. "Why do you want to know where the Autobots are? I mean, what is it to you? If you knew anything about them you would know you wouldn't be able to do shit against them."

A cruel, cold smile curls at the corners of Victor's mouth.

"Of course _I_ wouldn't, but my employer might. In fact, he can, he would be able to kill every last one of them, like he should."

His words create a chill that creeps through my body.

"Why?" I demand. "Why should they die?"

"Do you even remember Chicago? The Autobots caused that, they made it happen, and many people, innocent people died as a result. Don't tell me they deserve to live, they're _aliens_. It is people like you who sicken me, people who would rather join _them_ than the human race."

There are a million things I want to respond with, a million things I _should_ say to defend my friends, but I am quiet. At least I know now what I have been ignorant of the entire time; the Autobots are in danger. Not from this unorganized, arrogant pair, but the certainty with which Victor spoke about his "employer" makes me believe whoever it is might be a legitimate threat.

All of my concerns are replaced with sheer terror as Victor draws a gun from behind his back and points the tip of the barrel at my forehead. Beside him the mentally unstable Natalie stifles sobs, probably because deep down she is the one who wants to do it. I have had guns pointed at me before, usually large, alien guns, but this sleek, black handgun sends more dread through me than any Decepticon gun. I don't know why, perhaps it is the hand that holds the gun, but I've had an insane, psychopathic maniac point a gun at me before, it's nothing new. Despite the gun being only a few inches from my head I still have hope that I can escape, so I start pulling my arms free of the ropes. They are still tight enough to prevent me from slipping my hands through for at least the first try. I find myself tugging at the ropes, pain spiking through my injured arm. Victor chuckles menacingly at my attempt.

"That won't help you know, not even your Autobot friends will help you now," he mocks, clicking the bullet in the chamber.

"Says who?"

The voice seems to come from nowhere, but sounds so familiar to me. Victor whips around to face the origin of the voice, somewhere behind him. I take the distraction to immediately pull back from the ropes with all my strength, my hands finally slipping through the bonds. There is a loud crash of breaking metal and glass as the wall furthest from us crumbles beneath a great weight. Victor still has the gun pointed at me, but it is no longer level with my head. His stance is so pathetic that I easily force his arm toward with mine, grabbing the gun before it can fall. At the same instant I swing my leg toward his, sweeping his legs out from under him, forcing him to his knees. I point the gun at him, looking around in search of Natalie. She must have scurried off at the first sign of trouble because I don't see her anywhere. In fact, all I really see is the dust and debris from the broken wall. When the dust finally settles I can see what caused the distraction that saved my life, or rather _who_.

I stare up at the towering forms of two Autobots, one of which I recognize, the other I don't, not at first.

"Man, I can't believe we found you," Sideswipe says. "Just in time too, looks like we saved your ass."

"Really? 'Cause I think it looks to me like I saved my own ass," I reply, gesturing to my previous captor with the gun I have pointed at him. "And you really could have been faster with the rescue mission."

"Do you hear that, Mirage, she sounds ungrateful," Sideswipe comments to the other Autobot.

"Mirage? I hardly recognize you!" I exclaim in shock.

"I scanned a new vehicle, it's nice, isn't it?" Mirage says, his old accent gone along with his color scheme.

The once cherry-red Autobot is now colored white with some patches of dark blue. Sideswipe is a slightly darker silver, but everything else about him is the same as before, including the attitude.

"Where did you even come from?" I ask.

"Well, I came through that wall, Mirage here was eavesdropping on your little showdown, making sure things didn't get too out-of-hand," Sideswipe replies with his usual sarcasm.

"So, what, you're invisible now?" I ask Mirage.

"Precisely."

Inside I am welling up with pure joy, relief, comfort, emotions I haven't felt in a very long time. In my state of complete euphoria I turn back to Victor, who is still on his knees beneath the gun.

"I guess you were wrong; the Autobots _do_ care about me and they _do_ know me. I don't think I ever introduced myself, formally: my name is Agent Rachel Hallows of NEST, and, to say the least, you're under arrest," I say to him without wavering one word.

" _NEST_!?" Victor says, completely horrified.

"Guess your employer forgot to mention that. You better have a damn good lawyer...and doctor."

"Why would I need a do-?"

Before he can finish I slam the gun into the side of his head, knocking him out cold.

"Damn," Sideswipe mutters.

Finally, this endless nightmare is over, I am back under the protection of the Autobots. The thought then leads me to then speculate where one particular Autobot is, one I expected to be in that building before any other.

"Alright, where is he?" I ask skeptically.

"See, I knew you were gonna ask that," Sideswipe says.

"He went around to catch the other one, she was trying to escape," Mirage says before Sideswipe can decide whether he wants to tell me.

"I'm sure it won't be long before-"

In the middle of Sideswipe's sentence the other wall, the one with the door in it, is blasted apart. A wide smile spreads across my face as the all too familiar black Topkick drives through the new hole in the wall. My broad smile soon disappears as I realize I'm about to get chewed out in monumental proportions. Then again, I don't care, I'd rather be yelled at than never see that black Topkick again.

Warm air from the truck blows my hair back from my bloodied face as the Topkick stops only inches from me. It has been a long time since I have been able to watch in awe as an Autobot transforms. I watch the black Topkick now as its parts separate and move into new, specific places until the over-protective Autobot stands in front of, or rather towers over, me. Normally seeing him would provoke me to greet him with some sarcastic remark, but I cannot find the words; I am too relieved to see him.

"Hi," I manage, a weak attempt that will no doubt illicit teasing.

"Rachel," he says, my name tinged with bitterness as it escapes his mouth.

The bitterness with which he says my name makes me cringe, I have never heard him sound so disgusted with me before. I put it aside, thinking it is only my imagination.

"Ironhide," I find myself saying almost mockingly, something normal. "Ironhide?"

I would feel better if he were chastising me, angry at me for being away for so long. The silence is tearing into me and making me uneasy as I stare up at his large form. I think that this has been it, I've finally gone and done something that made him so afraid for my life, not that he would ever admit it, that he is _actually_ angry at me. The silence is killing me, so I do what I always do when the silence becomes deafening, I start rambling.

"Didn't think I'd be able to handle myself did you?"

Nope, that wasn't it.

"Come on, this wasn't anyone's fault but my own. I let my guard down for one second on a busy street and they grabbed me. Ironhide...I'm sorry."

Okay, rambling probably wasn't my best idea. I am desperate, at this point I want him to yell at me because his silence is much louder than any shout. A few feet away Sideswipe and Mirage are looking on our one-sided exchange, I know Sideswipe has to be feeling uncomfortable, he always does in these situations.

It is a while before Ironhide says anything to me, I feel like he has been staring at me for an hour. However, when he speaks, his words are so cold they take me by surprise.

"You're 'sorry'?" he says bitterly. "You were gone for ten months and that's what you have to say?"

I can't believe what I am hearing, my stomach sinks when I can finally process Ironhide's words. Sideswipe and Mirage look around, Sideswipe rolls his eyes.

"Well so much for breaking it to her _slowly_ ," Sideswipe says.

"Ten months?"

"And you're ' _sorry_ '. We thought you were dead, Rachel."

His words cut into me and I find myself shrinking back. I watch out of the corner of my eye as Sideswipe and Mirage leave, probably knowing it is best to leave the two of us alone to settle this. Once they are gone I can't stop myself from breaking down.

"You think I _wanted_ to be abducted? You don't think I hoped, begged, _prayed_ that someone would find me!? That I didn't miss the protection I'm used to? That every time they wanted to know something I didn't resist until I couldn't anymore, until they broke me? That I didn't fear every, _single_ day they would find out I was feeding them false information and kill me? That after months I didn't fear my usefulness was up? Every day I woke up expecting it to be my last. And the worst part, I was afraid that none of you would know what happened to me. Being strong and reserved in front of them was just a facade, underneath I was just as scared as anyone else would be."

By my last sentence I can barely understand myself through my own sobbing, I don't know when I started to cry. I can tell voicing the pain I have been through in the past ten months has changed Ironhide's attitude toward me.

"Rachel...I'm sorry, I didn't-" he starts.

"You're 'sorry'," I mock with a smile, wiping the tears from my eyes.

"Shut up," he jokes back.

Now I feel like things are normal between us again, which lifts a massive load from my shoulders. Ironhide then takes notice to Victor, who is now starting to wake up. I know he has seen the cuts and bruises all over my body, which means this is not going to end well for Victor.

"Ironhide, don't-" I start to say.

I stop because Ironhide already has one of his cannons thrust in front of Victor's half-asleep face. Victor jumps back in terror upon seeing the gun, but he can't escape because I am standing behind him.

"You really picked the wrong Autobot to piss off," I say.

"I didn't do anything to him," Victor says nervously.

"No, not to him, but you did hurt me. You see, he has this over-protective thing with me-"

"I do not!"

"And he gets really angry when someone even touches me in the wrong way."

In the middle of tormenting Victor I hear footsteps approaching me. I turn around, half-expecting another attack, but I stop short when I see who it is.

"Will?" I say in shock.

I did not expect to see my former commanding officer of NEST, William Lennox, in this rescue party. Then again, I guess I should have.

"So we're letting Ironhide take care of the criminals now, that doesn't seem like a very good idea," Lennox says.

Will finally sees my face and his whole tone changes.

"Oh, God, are you okay?" he asks, looking at the cuts on my face and the way I am cradling my left arm.

"Not really, but I'll live," I answer honestly.

"I'm getting Ratchet," Ironhide says, lumbering off.

"Ironhide, I'm fine!" I shout after him, but he is already gone.

I sigh, I guess it's back to fruitless arguing from now on. I turn to Lennox, unsure of what to do with Victor.

"Don't worry, I've got this one," Lennox says, pulling handcuffs from one of the pockets on his cargo pants.

He handcuffs Victor and pulls him to his feet, the three of us start to walk out of the building.

"Wait, what about the woman?" I ask.

"Already taken care of," Lennox replies.

I continue to walk out of the building, not looking back, I never want to see that building again. Outside I can see the Autobots in the distance. I am finally going home, the nightmare is over. Yet, while one nightmare has ended, I am completely oblivious to a new nightmare that is fast approaching, threatening not only me, but my friends and family as well.

 **A/N: Well I hope you enjoyed that, there's more to come as soon as I can write them :)**


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: I apologize so much for how late this chapter is. Life has been insane, but now I have more time to work on this fic. With The Last Knight fast approaching I want to get as much of this fic out before that movie releases, just in case they try to change everything again.**_

 _ **Chapter 2**_

Just beyond the half-demolished building, Sideswipe, Mirage, Ratchet, and Ironhide stand around two military trucks. At this distance I cannot make out the logos on the trucks, but I'll bet they are NEST trucks. I start to wonder just what all I have missed while I have been basically underground for almost a whole year. Lennox breaks the silence of my thoughts as we walk toward the Autobots.

"The only reason Ironhide was so angry is because he thought you were dead," Lennox says solemnly. "We all did, it was just so long."

I nod slightly and continue to walk. Hearing him say it makes me realize my own thoughts were grounded. The reason I kept losing hope while I was being held captive was because I thought everyone I knew thought I was dead. No one searches for a person they know is dead, and the government would definitely not spend money for it. I am lucky they continued to search despite thinking I was dead.

"So where do we stand?" I ask.

"Since you...left? A lot has happened, NEST is still inactive at this point. Chicago is just about rebuilt, but I think it is going to take a lot longer to people to move past it. And it should."

Chicago was a tragedy, the whole city was nearly leveled in the Decepticon attack five years ago. The battle still gives me nightmares, but the most painful reoccurring memory is of Sentinel Prime killing Ironhide right in front of me, or so I thought at the time. Even though months later I found out Ironhide had actually survived, I still continue to have nightmares about what was one of the worst days of my life. We stop next to the Autobots, Ratchet approaches first.

"A minor concussion, fractured left arm, malnutrition, but otherwise, nothing life threatening," Ratchet says. "It is good to see you, Rachel."  
"Thanks, Ratchet, it's good to see you too."

"How's your arm? We brought a medic with us," Lennox says.

"Yeah, I think bringing a medic was a great idea," I say.

Lennox motions to the second of the two trucks, where a NEST soldier stands with a medical supply kit.

A few minutes later I sit in the passenger seat of one of the trucks, Lennox is driving. My arm is bandaged and my minor scrapes have been attended to. I decided to give Ironhide space and since he did not argue I assume he felt bad about what he said to me. I understand, I was just as angry at him when I learned he was alive after thinking he was dead for so long. He is just as concerned with my safety as I am for his, even though we both play it off with sarcasm and jokes. I also decided to ride with Lennox so he could catch me up and I could tell him what I knew about my captors.

"So, where are we anyway?" I ask.

"You wouldn't believe it, but only about two hours from D.C," he replies, not taking his eyes off the road.

"Are you serious? We're in Virginia!? All this time and if I had just escaped I could have walked back to civilization?"

"Where did you think you were?"  
"I don't know, the middle of the desert, the Arctic. Somewhere miles and miles from any city or town."

"They hid you in plain sight, they were good at hiding their trails."

"They got lazy, arrogant," I say, looking out the window.

"I'm glad they did or we might have not found you in time."

I nod and continue to stare out of the window, glad to finally see something besides the inside of that bland building. I can tell there is a lot more Lennox wants to ask me, but he keeps silent.

"Colonel..."

"How many times do I have to tell you, I'm perfectly fine with you calling me 'Will'? Besides, I'm not your commanding officer anymore," Lennox says with a laugh.

I smile, "Sorry, sometimes I just forget."

"Anyway, you were saying..."

"The Autobots are in danger."

"What?"

"The people who abducted me, they said they worked for someone. Someone who wants to supposedly kill every last one of the Autobots."

Lennox takes his eyes off the road to look at me in shock.

"We're heading back to base, right now," he says definitively.

Even though NEST is currently inactive, it still holds a base on the outskirts of D.C. That is where Lennox takes us, the Autobots following close behind. The base is much smaller than the one we once had in central D.C, before the Decepticon attack on Chicago. There are not many people around either, mostly essential personnel, since we have yet to be completely disbanded. He pulls into one of the hangars and stops. As soon as I see who is standing in the hangar, my eyes fill with tears once more and I exit the truck as quickly as possible. Without a word we fall into each other's embrace and remain locked in each other's arms for a few long moments, despite the awkwardness caused by my bandaged arm.

"You never give up, do you?" I say, without leaving his arms.

"On you, never. I made a vow, and I intend to keep it. I love you, Rachel."

"I love you, Daniel."

I lean into a kiss that is ten months overdue. The one thought that kept me going all of those months was knowing Daniel would never stop looking, even if he had to do it by himself. Still holding me around my waist with one arm, Daniel reaches in his pocket.

"For when your arm's better," he says, holding my wedding ring in his palm.

On the day I had been abducted, I had removed my ring, worried I might lose it on my run. We had only been married a little under a year before I was taken.

"I missed our anniversary," I say with a smile.

"I'll let it slide, but just this once," Daniel jests, kissing me again. "Come on, let's get you taken care of."

Together we walk into the small medical area of the base, where I am able to shower and change into clean clothes. The medic that accompanied my rescue party is the only one currently on the base. He gives me an IV and tends to my fractured arm once more. Daniel sits beside my bed, holding my other hand mostly, I think, for his own comfort. I am ordered to remain in the bed for a few hours before I can go home to rest some more. About an hour into my ordered rest, Lennox walks in.

"Sorry, I know you need your rest, but I just wanted to let you know we're questioning your captors. They are not going to be offered any deals, and I will personally make sure they are tried and convicted for the maximum time for the abduction and attempted murder of a military agent."

"Thank you, Will."

"You're family, Rachel, we look out for family."

"Have you talked to Optimus yet? He needs to know that the Autobots may be in serious danger. I know those two were nutcases, but they sounded very sincere when they talked about the Autobots being killed."

"Don't worry, I already told him. He's looking into it himself, and our people here are looking into it as well. Whoever their 'employer' is, they won't be able to hide much longer. Now, get some rest. When you're better, we would be glad to have you help with this search."

Lennox walks out, leaving Daniel and I alone. Daniel places his hand back in mine and holds my hand firmly.

"We will find them. No one is going to hurt the Autobots," Daniel says reassuringly, kissing the back of my hand.

I smile, letting my eyes close. It feels incredibly wonderful to feel safe and unafraid for the first time in a very long time. Without realizing how tired I actually am, I doze off.

 _They're going after the Autobots and it's all my fault._ Something doesn't seem right about that thought. In my exhausted mind I've started to mix together past and present. Someone may be coming after the Autobots, but this time it isn't my fault. This time I am trying to help keep them away from the Autobots, or, rather, I will. A week later I return to the NEST base, a week before I am technically supposed to return to work. Lennox only allows me to return because he understands my urge to actively participate in the search for the person, or people, threatening the Autobots. In the nearly five years since Chicago there have been many threats on the remaining Autobots, but none have ever felt this serious. With NEST's inactive status, the resources available for this search are extremely limited. I tell Lennox my plan to work out an algorithm that catalogs the various public threats made against the Autobots since Chicago. I tell him there is also the possibility that this might not give us what we are looking for. The way Victor and Natalie talked about their 'employer' made it seem like whoever it is was trying to stay out of the spotlight. Their threat against the Autobots may not be public at all. I keep the thought in mind, but start to search anyway. After a few hours, I have worked out the system to use. My work is made easier by the lack of disturbances on the base. Most of the Autobots are doing their own things. Ratchet is over helping the group of researchers on the base. Sideswipe, Mirage and Bumblebee are all training together out in the field. I'm not sure where Ironhide is so I assume he's probably somewhere blowing something up. Optimus is off-base with a handful of new Autobots scouting around for information. I haven't met any of them yet, both Lennox and Optimus told me introductions would follow their return from the mission. My first impression of them, based on what Ironhide has told me, is that they are a rather odd group. I set the system to run the massive search and get up from my desk to take a walk around the base. I head out of the hangar and walk through the field that extends behind the base. With all the catching up I've had to do, I haven't been able to take much time to just relax. A cool, spring breeze blows through the grassy field, blowing my hair back from my face. It feels nice to just be out here, away from the hustle of the base. Even inactive, NEST is still useful. Mainly, I found out from Lennox, NEST is still trying to locate and eliminate the remaining Decepticon threats. I also found out that to say Autobot-military relations are strained is a massive understatement. Everyone in our small base fears that any day could be the last, it would only take one order to shut down NEST completely.

It is not long before I feel someone walk up behind me. I turn around to see Daniel coming toward me.

"Hey," he says, smiling.

"Hey. What's up?"

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. You haven't said much about...what happened, and I know you probably don't want to right now. I want to make sure that, when you're ready, you know I'm always here."

"Of course I know. You're always there when I need you and sometimes even when I don't."

I give him a smile that let's him know I'm joking.

"Oh, come on, now you're just being cruel," he laughs.

"Also, I'm fine, by the way. I just came out here to clear my head and to get away from the computer screen for a little bit. I already started the search, now I just have to wait for the results."

"Which I'm sure you'll get soon enough."

"I hope so."

"You will, you always do."

I take his hand and start to slowly walk back to the hangar. I do need to to check the initial results, but I want to take as long as I can getting back. This whole abduction was hard on him too, I can see that clearly. I want to open up, to confide in him, but I can't bring myself to talk about the hopelessness I felt just yet.

When we get back to the hangar I check the scan only to find that there are no results showing. By now at least _something_ should have come up. This search is not looking very good at the moment. Daniel places a hand softly on my shoulder and gives me a departing kiss.

"You will find them," he says before turning to go back to his own job.

A few minutes later, with absolutely no warning at all, the blue and white McLaren and the yellow and black Camaro tear through the hangar at top speed. It has almost become a daily occurrence that Bee and Mirage's training sessions end in a race. Sometimes Sideswipe joins in too and it kind of starts to feel like a racetrack inside the building. Everyone is usually startled when it first happens, after all they don't have the quietest of engines, but then we all just go back to what we are doing. Mirage is usually the one you have to watch out for; he likes to be quiet, so it is easy to almost get run over when walking from one side of the hangar to the other. After the hour of the search turns up no leads I start to feel like this is pointless. I am almost about to give up on it for today when the first few results start popping up. Then, every few minutes, another result pops up. None of the leads end up panning out, but they are still better than nothing.

After a couple hours, and more dead-end leads, Optimus and the group of new Autobots return from their scouting mission. Lennox takes me down to meet them a few minutes later. I see the Autobots in their alt-forms before they start to transform. A large military missile truck and a blue-and black Bugatti stop on one side of the unmistakable blue and red-flame semi; a green and black-striped Corvette and a Dodge Challenger police car stop on the other side. As Lennox and I approach, they all start to transform.

"How did it go?" Lennox asks.

"We did not encounter any Decepticons," Optimus starts.

"But, we did learn of possible hideouts where we may find some. It was clear once we found the trail, I should have seen it all along," says the police car Autobot.

"Rachel, this is Prowl, he was Optimus' military strategist on Cybertron," Lennox says.

"Still am," Prowl responds.

"Always plannin' ahead, Prowl, but tell me: Did ya see any Decepticons today? 'Cause I didn't. I'm itching to kill some Decepticon scum, but all ya keep sayin' is 'we're close,'" says the military truck Autobot.

"We _are_ close. The probability that-"

"Cut the math crap and just tell me when I can shoot something!"

"Hound, please, you must find peace from within," the Bugatti says.

"Oh, don't start that samurai crap with me. I said I wanted to shoot something, I didn't say it had to be a Decepticon."

I feel like they are about to draw weapons on one another before Optimus steps between them. Of course, any time Optimus gets involved, things get resolved pretty quick.

"That's Hound," Lennox says, pointing at the trigger-happy Autobot. "And the other one is Drift."

"So, is this Ironhide's human pet?" the last Autobot asks.

Almost as soon as he says it, he is knocked over the head by a giant cannon. The green Autobot falls to the ground, Ironhide standing over him. Somehow, without me noticing, Ironhide had driven up from behind. I smile, trying to hold back a laugh. Beside me, I can see Lennox is smiling too.

"Have more respect, Crosshairs, that 'human pet' is far smarter than you," Ironhide says.

"A little touchy aren't we," Crosshairs says, trying to get up.

Ironhide puts a foot on his back, preventing him from moving.

"Apologize," Ironhide growls.

"Fine, fine. I'm sorry."

Ironhide defending me like that makes me feel a great swell of pride. He lets Crosshairs up, but does not help him. He was right, this group of Autobots is rather odd. Out of the four of them, Prowl seems like the most sensible.

Optimus and Lennox discuss the possible locations of the remaining Decepticons. The Autobots part ways, only Ironhide hangs back. He stands beside me as I watch Optimus and Lennox talk. I don't bother thanking him for the defense, I know he would just brush it off anyways. I could tell him that he absolutely sucks at trying to keep an eye on me without me knowing it. The whole week I was at home resting, I would sometimes notice the all too familiar black truck out of the corner of my eye when I went places. Sometimes I think he can't help himself, no matter how many times I tell him I'm fine on my own. I guess getting abducted in broad daylight by two psychopaths doesn't really help my defense. We both got over the tension created by our initial outbursts pretty quickly. It was that same day that I started telling him about what happened, about the threat. Optimus and Lennox finish their conversation and walk towards us.

"Rachel," Optimus says. "I wanted you to know how thankful I am that you are okay. Ironhide told me how strong you were, that you did not tell them about us. For that, I am most grateful."

"I would never betray family," I reply.

Optimus nods, "We will find whoever is behind this. That is, unless you find them first."

"When we find them, they're going to get a real close-up look at my cannons," Ironhide grumbles.

"Ironhide," Optimus says admonishingly. "We cannot harm humans for a simple threat."

"I know, I was just saying...Maybe scare them a bit."

"Ironhide..."

"Yeah, yeah, trying to improve relations and all that. I've got it...It's not fun, but I've got it..."

Optimus knows Ironhide would never actually hurt humans, but I think he also knows Ironhide needs to be reminded of that from time to time. Optimus and Ironhide leave, no doubt to go keep an eye on the other Autobots. Lennox and I start to walk back to the main building of the base.

"So, what did you think?"

"They're an odd bunch, aren't they? I mean, I thought Ironhide was just exaggerating when he said that."

"I guess there aren't that many Autobots left who aren't on Earth. They came not long after you were taken. We were still hunting down the rest of the Decepticons who escaped the Chicago attack, while also trying to find you. I think Optimus sent out another call for backup because that's when they showed up. How's the search going?"

"Not so well right now. I kept getting a few hits every hour, but none of them held up when I looked into them. I'm hoping I'll have better luck tomorrow. There's something else I want to try before I completely give up on it, but it would take too long to start this late today."

"Okay, as long as you think there's a chance of finding something, you keep at it. I was going to head out soon too. There's a lot less to do around here now."

"Yeah, it's a lot less stressful than the old days isn't it? But, also a lot more boring."

"If boring means that there are less Decepticons around, I'll take boring any day."

"Me too."

The next day starts almost the same way as yesterday, except we arrive at NEST around noon. There are only a handful of other people on the base besides Lennox, Daniel and myself. The only real reason Daniel is here is because he goes stir-crazy at home, he isn't getting paid to be here today. He and Lennox have become closer since my abduction, probably because Daniel spent every waking moment at the base helping with the search. Daniel goes off with Lennox to work out the military strategy of finding the last Decepticons, based on Prowl's information. The Autobots are doing a series of weapons tests and training exercises with some of the military personnel. As soon as I get to the base, I look through the search results that came up over night. The supposed threats turn out to be nothing grounded, so I decide to try my next idea out. I go through the NEST data, searching for the exact file I need and find it quickly enough. I change the parameters of the search and try again, this time with a narrower search window. I hope I will find more specific results in a fraction of the time. It is not long before the first few results pop up. I look through them an get further than I did with the previous search, but they end up turning into dead-ends too. I start to get frustrated after a few hours of this, but the leads are providing me with at least minimal information. Finally, a lead pops up that after a good amount of looking into still hold up. I get deep into researching it, pulling up another few files that go along with it. The original file was directly linked to Victor and Natalie Petrov, my abductors. As it turns out, they were not so uncoordinated and incompetent as I first believed. I click on another file and start to read it. I only get a few lines into it before I stop and call Lennox, dread rushing through me. I read the same lines again and then start to read below them while I wait for Lennox to get to me.

By the time Lennox gets to my computer, which doesn't take too long, I have read through most of the document and watched the video clip three times. None of it makes any more sense to me than the first time I saw it, but only because I don't want to believe it.

"Will, you have to see this," I say, playing the video clip.

The video clip, marked only as "Langley", shows two individuals leaving the main building of the CIA. At first it seems there is no importance to these two individuals, but upon closer inspection a more unnerving discovery can be made.

"Wait, is that-?" Lennox asks.

"Victor and Natalie, yes."

"And they were at Langley...why?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but I don't think they got in there on their own. They certainly didn't break in, so the real question is: why did the CIA want to talk to them? I used the file NEST had been compiling on them since they were taken in, sorry about that by the way I know it's not okay for me to be involved, but I had to narrow my search. Two days before they abducted me they were at the CIA. So, I looked into the CIA's files on them-"

"You did what?" Lennox asks in shock.

"Read that document and tell me something doesn't seem wrong," I say, pulling the single-page document back up.

I watch as he reads it and I see the same reactions from him that I had myself.

"'This action to fully dissolve the Non-biological Extraterrestrial Species Treaty will be enacted upon the specified date of-' My, God," Lennox says, his voice dropping.

As he reads on, I start to hear a distant sound carried by the shift in the wind. I turn around and look toward the long, dirt road that leads into the base. When I see the large, black SUVs coming down the dirt road, my blood feels like it has been turned to ice.

"Will...were we expecting any company today?" I ask wearily.

He looks up from the computer, turning around to match my gaze.

"No. We weren't."

We look at one another, some form of understanding passing silently between us.

"Shit," I say, looking back at the fast-approaching SUVs.

This day is definitely not going to end as normally as it began.

 _ **A/N: Hope you enjoyed it, comments are greatly appreciated. I have the next chapter planned out and hope I can get it out in the next week or so. Thank you so much if you have returned to this fic after my long absence from it, I really appreciate it :)**_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: A little later than I planned, but I changed a few key things from this chapter. Again, I'm hoping to wrap the majority of this fic up before _The Last Knight_ comes out, but who knows. Anyway, enjoy :)**

 _Chapter 3_

As the SUVs get closer, the Autobots all drive into the hangar, no doubt sensing that something is up. The dust the cars kick up from the dirt road masks the vehicles until they are almost to the main building. A caravan of that many cars is unusual for just a simple visit to inform us of our deactivation. Normally, it would be just a single car with a government higher-up telling us to pack up and go home, or so I thought. Optimus alone transforms, standing beside Lennox and I, but facing the oncoming line of vehicles.

"Colonel Lennox, what is this?" Optimus asks.

"I'm not sure. NEST was officially deactivated last night, we just found out a few minutes ago, but not from the government. The report said the Autobots are still to be given sanctuary on Earth, but-"

Lennox looks up at Optimus as he adds, "Something isn't right."

Though I feel like I already knew it, Lennox saying it out loud overwhelms me with dread.

"Autobots, stay alert," Optimus commands, shifting his stance.

I start to think of all of the ways this can go, but none of the conclusions I come to are good. When the dust starts to thin out, I see something that adds to my overwhelming dread.

"Will, if they're just here to tell us we've been deactivated...who is that?" I ask, slightly motioning my head towards the middle of the caravan.

The sleek, black Lamborghini does not fit in with the rest of the government SUVs. The whole air seems to shift as the Lamborghini takes the lead in the caravan. The next few things happen so fast, it seems like they happen all at once.

The black Lamborghini fires three large missiles at the hangar. I can't tell if it happened the split-second before or the split-second after, but Optimus calls out to the Autobots.

"Autobots, transform!" Optimus commands, drawing out his ax and shield.

The first two missiles strike the floor and ceiling, the concussions throwing Lennox and I to the ground. The third missile streaks toward the Autobots. Optimus blocks it with his shield, but gets thrown backwards by the force of the blast. By this time the rest of the Autobots have transformed and have started to return fire. There is now gunfire coming also from the SUVs, but they only seem to be aiming at the Autobots. I start to push myself up off the ground, dazed from the explosions. Lennox also gets up and runs to the nearest emergency alarm and sets it off. Though I'm sure anyone who was here has already run away in terror, it is still the best thing to do. Lennox comes back over to me as I finally find my feet.

"Are you okay?" he yells over the gunfire and explosions.

"I'm fine. We have to get out of here!" I reply, looking at the firefight going on only feet in front of us.

We both duck behind a large slab of the floor that has been pushed up by the missiles. It is easier to focus and hear behind the cover.

"What do we do?" I ask, trying to hide the fear in my voice.

"I don't know. They're here for the Autobots, we have to get them out and to safety."

"Yeah, that's assuming we can also get ourselves to safety."

A plan suddenly starts to formulate in my mind and I start speaking as soon as it comes to me.

"I know where we can hide them! There's a house my family used to go to, it's completely off the grid. It would be perfect for hiding the Autobots," I say.

Lennox nods, "That might work. Okay, let's try to get them out of here."

I nod and we both scramble out from behind the cover.

It is complete chaos in the hangar, fires and fallen debris are scattered all around. In the middle of it all, the Autobots are trying to dodge the oncoming gunfire and missile-fire. In the place of the black Lamborghini stands a towering, Decepticon-looking figure. He fires a missile at Optimus, knocking the Autobot leader on his back. The whole ground shakes when Optimus collides with it, and I once again find myself on the floor. This time it is more fortunate, as I am close enough to Optimus for him to hear me.

"Optimus!" I call, knowing the enemy forces can't possibly hear me. "I know where to go! I can hide them, we just need a diversion!"

I see Optimus nod his head slightly before he gets back up to rejoin the fight. Out of the corner of my eye I see Mirage duck behind some debris, a box of yellow light surrounds him and the next second he turns invisible. A few seconds later the Decepticon falls forward, stunned by an invisible attack. The break in enemy fire is just long enough for Ironhide to fire a shot from his cannon that obscures half the base in smoke. I see Ironhide transform, disappearing from sight below the level of the debris that separates us. All of a sudden, Lennox returns from wherever he ran to and tosses me my handgun. He and Optimus make eye contact and nod to one another.

"Take the Autobots and go," Lennox says. "We'll hold them back so you can escape with the others-"

"What!? No! There's no way I'm leaving you to them!"

"You have to! Otherwise, no one is getting out of here! Now, go!" he says.

At that same moment, the black Topkick slides to a stop in front of us, the driver-side door swinging open.

"Go!" Lennox shouts, shoving me toward the truck.

I am barely inside before Ironhide takes off, the door swinging shut behind me. It is only when I am thrown to the passenger side as Ironhide maneuvers the debris field that I notice Daniel sitting in the passenger seat.

"Danny?!" I exclaim.

I barely have time to feel happy that Daniel is with me before a loud, metallic creaking drowns out all of the other noises. I look out of the Topkick's window to see a large section of the roof collapse right above our heads. Ironhide swerves and speeds up to get out of the way, throwing me against the door of the truck. I quickly push myself off, trying desperately to buckle my seat belt. The large section of roof crashes down behind us, throwing small pieces of concrete against the back of the Topkick. As I look back I see Optimus fighting hand-to-hand with the Decepticon. Ironhide clears the hangar and heads out across the large field. I continue to look out of the rear window and see Sideswipe, Mirage, and Prowl tearing across the field behind us. I only hope that Lennox and the other Autobots can make it safely out of the hangar.

It is pitch-black outside, which serves as great cover for our escape. The Autobots have all turned their lights off and slowed down to a more steady speed as we get further from the base. I sit back in the driver's seat, finally able to catch my breath. It is then that the whole incident starts to register in my head. I sit there, staring out of the windshield into the darkness, not knowing what else to do, too stunned to say anything. Daniel doesn't say anything either and stares out of the window. The silence inside of the truck is deafening. The only sounds I can hear are the low roar of the engine and the muffled snapping of branches outside the window. My mind replays the chaotic events in a loop, trying to make sense of it all. The mental images of our base getting attacked only trigger my memories from the last time it happened, years ago. Images of explosions and gunfire in a much larger hangar flash through my mind. Those images only trigger the one memory that has haunted me for nearly six years. The unmistakable voice echoes through my head.

" _For the sake of our planet's survival, a deal had to be made-"_

This time I see it clearly, Sentinel Prime draws the gun as he turns away.

" _With Megatron!_ "

In my mind I see Sentinel shoot Ironhide in the back. My own screams echo inside my head as I see Sentinel shoot him again. I feel as helpless as I did that day as the memory continues in horrible clarity. My mind forces me to watch Ironhide get shot again, to stand there, motionless, as I look at Ironhide for what is certainly the last time.

"Rachel," Ironhide says.

It takes me a second to realize something is wrong with that.

"Rachel!" Ironhide says again, louder.

I am jarred from my memory and back into the present moment, where Ironhide is trying to get my attention.

"What-?"

"It would be helpful if I knew where I was going," I hear Ironhide's voice through the radio of the truck.

"Just...head west for now, toward Kentucky. We should make sure we weren't followed before we head to the safe house or it's pointless," I say, trying not to sound as shaken up as I feel.

"Rachel..." Daniel starts softly. "Are you okay?"

I am only now noticing the tears in my eyes, no doubt caused by the memories I just relived.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I say, not even believing it myself.

"It happened again, didn't it?" Daniel asks.

"Yeah."

The Autobots drive for another few hours before stopping. We are far along the back roads that run deep into the Washington National Forest. It is still pitch-black outside, the shadowed figures of the tall trees looming over us. Ironhide suddenly turns off of the road, heading into an area where the trees are thinner. He comes to a stop and the other three Autobots circle up around him. They all start to transform, Ironhide following suit as soon as Daniel and I are clear.

"What in the name of Cybertron just happened?" Sideswipe says.

"An ambush, plain and simple," Prowl replies.

"But why would the humans attack us? And why would they ever work with the Decepticons again?" Mirage asks.

"That wasn't a Decepticon," Ironhide says.

"Somehow I get the feeling that isn't good news..." Sideswipe says.

"No, that was Lockdown," Ironhide says.

"Lockdown?" Sideswipe asks, clearly as confused as I am.

"He's a bounty hunter," Ironhide elaborates. "A ruthless one at that."

It takes me a second to catch up with the fast-paced conversation.

"A bounty hunter?" I ask, looking up at Ironhide. "What is a bounty hunter doing going after Autobots? More importantly, why is he working with humans?"

"I don't know. We need to make sure we weren't followed. Prowl, come with me. Sideswipe, Mirage, stay here with Rachel and Daniel. We'll be back soon," Ironhide says, transforming.

Prowl transforms, following Ironhide back onto the road. Ironhide sure doesn't waste any time in deciding what needs to be done, especially in times of emergency.

"Anyone else feeling a little in the dark...you know, figuratively," Sideswipe says once Ironhide and Prowl disappear from sight.

It all went downhill so fast it is hard to be sure of what happened. Was the attack a sanctioned hit? Unsanctioned? The only thing I am sure of is that NEST is no more and because of that, the Autobots are in danger.

It is a while before Ironhide and Prowl return, I almost start to worry that we actually were followed. Sideswipe had started to pace impatiently a few minutes after they left, Mirage has remained silent, keeping watch. Daniel tries to ease my worries, but I can tell he is worried himself. Relief washes over me as I see the Topkick and Challenger appear through the trees. I feel even better when I realize they don't look like they're in a hurry. The two Autobots reach the small clearing and transform.

"We weren't followed," Ironhide says.

"Any sign of the others?" Sideswipe asks eagerly.

"No."

"We can't be the only ones who made it out," I say, trying to sound more confident in those words than I actually am.

"No, but we can't be sure," Ironhide says.

"Isn't there some way you can contact them?" Daniel asks.

"Not without breaking protocol," Prowl says.

"What protocol?" I ask.

"Optimus and I agreed upon it way back, during the war. I think Ironhide was there too. In times like these, where we get separated by hostile forces, we have to assume the others have been captured. We cannot make contact until we are sure the others have not been taken, so as to not reveal our location to the enemy," Prowl says.

"But what if they have been taken and they need our help! We can't just leave them behind!"

I don't mean to yell, but I end up doing it anyway. Daniel takes my hand, trying to calm me down.

Prowl shakes his head, "When you see many of your comrades, your friends, get taken by Decepticons and forced to reveal information against their will, forced to turn on their brothers-in-arms- When you see first-hand the brutal methods the Decepticons use to get what they want...a protocol like ours seems more than justified. We have to keep to the protocol, for now."

I can hardly believe what I am hearing, I look up at Ironhide in disbelief.

"Ironhide?" I say, expecting him to tell Prowl off.

"Prowl is right, I was there. It's the best thing to do now, until we are sure Optimus and the others weren't taken...or worse."

"Since when do you follow _rules_?" Sideswipe says, irritated. "If Optimus and the others are in trouble, we have to help them. If we don't, we're no better than those weak-ass Decepticons."

Ironhide turns and looks at Sideswipe, "That's not what I meant. We need time, time to find out what's going on. We can't risk Lockdown finding us, not without Optimus."

While I don't want to believe it at first, Ironhide is right. We don't even know what we are up against. Running blindly into something we don't understand might only get us or the other Autobots killed. We need time to gather as much information as we can on the people who attacked us, and we can't do it from the forest.

"Then we need to get moving," I say. "The safe house I was talking about, we can stay there until we get the information we need."

Ironhide nods, "But first...Mirage, do your thing."

Mirage holds out one of his hands and a blue light falls over all of us, Mirage included.

"We're good, Ironhide," Mirage says a moment later, making the light disappear.

"What was that?" I ask, not recognizing the technology.

"Mirage scanned us for any enemy technology, to make sure none of us were tagged during the fight. Time to go. Autobots, let's roll."

"Who made you Optimus Prime?" I mutter as Ironhide starts to transform.

The rest of the Autobots follow suit and Daniel and I get into the Topkick. I provide Ironhide with the directions to the house and decide to try to sleep, leaning up against Daniel in the backseat. In the past, there have been many times my life has been thrown into complete chaos over the course of one day; today is no exception. As I finally start to drift off, the magnitude of the events from today finally hit me full-force. We are completely cut off from the Autobots, from our friends at NEST, with barely any resources at our disposal. In short, we are entirely on our own and facing an enemy we do not know.

 **A/N: I realize the back half of this chapter was pretty dialogue heavy, so I will try to focus more on the non-dialogue stuff next time :) As always, comments and reviews are greatly appreciated. The next chapter coming your way in one or two weeks.**


	4. Update 6-20-17

Hello readers,

So, I know I said I was going to try to finish this fanfic before The Last Knight came out. Unfortunately, school and life kind of got in the way. The Last Knight is coming out tonight/tomorrow; so in honor of that, I _will_ try to upload chapter 4. Don't worry, I am bumping this fic to the top of my list to work on. The real Chapter 4 should be out in a day or two.

Best wishes (and thanks for sticking around),

ShurtugalSkulblaka


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